Folding-machine.



J. H. ADAMS & E. D. WALLACE.

FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 25, 1907.

\ Patented Oct. I2, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

- J. H. ADAMS 655.13. WALLACE.

` FOLDING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 190.7.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented @01.12.1909.

i To all 'whom4 it may concern:

STAT-ns PATENT oFFicE.

JoHN H. .ennuis un Eni/inn; D WALLAGE, or* IvIINiviinr'oLIs7 MINNESOTA, AssIGNons, Biriirnsnn AssIcf-iniEN'rs, fro Apfhifs tnrfrnit nonnina MACHINE COMPANY, or CHICAGO, I'LLINoIs, A- coarenfrion or ILLINOIS;

' f FOLDING-MAGHINE.

v v Aipplicationled November Be i't known that we, JOHN .'ADAMS and ELM-En D.v WALLACE, of Minneapolis, Hennepin county, Minnesota', have invented certain lnew and useful Improvements in Folding- Machines, of which the following 1s a specil The object of our inventionis to provide a. machinecapable of folding' sheets ofpaper folded sheets in a boxer other receptacle.

A further Objectis to provide a pressure roller by means of whichthe travel of the sheets pre aratory to receiving the final folds,.will e controlled.

The invention Consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims. i

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevationvof aportion of a folding machine embodying our invention. .Figg 2 isan end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 isia detail'sectional view showing the position of -theoperatingA parts.; Fig. 4 is afrontview of the hinged guiding plate. Fig. `'is a` sectional View on the line -zv of`Fi'g.'3. Fig. 6 is a sectionalview on the 'line y-y of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating the mechanism at one end of the feed'roller.

In'the drawing,l 2" represents' a table supported on legs 3 and provided with a carriage 4 on'whichthe sheets of paper are supported in' a substantially vertical position withtheir lower ends incontact with the top of thetable. The general construction andarra'ngenien't of this feed mechanism forms the subject matterof 2in-application filed by Adams July 8th, 1907, Serial No. 382,707.-

The roller 5is arranged? in contact` with the paper asin said application and the sheets are fedfrc'nn'the stack-- one at a time. Roller's 6 and-7 are mounted. in the table frame on substantially the same levelY and have their peripheries projecting' th-rough an opening 8 in the table to'p.' A. pressure roller 9 is mountedi on' arlis` 10 p'ivoted on said Atable andsaidfpressure -roller is held i'n yielding engagement withV the roller 6 by a c5190?. serial No., 463,54.

-spring 11:1 The sheets of paper fed from the stack by the movement of the roller 5 will slide along the top of the table and pass between the rollers 6 and 9. There has been i some difficulty heretofore in machines of this that each sheet will be drawn down between the rollers G and 7 before the succeeding sheet fed forward between the rollers 6 and 9,l contacts with: the descending .preceding sheet. -The rollers 6 and 9 may be speeded uphigher than the feed roller to hasten the delivery of the sheets to the rollers 6 and 7, but in doing this there is danger of tearing the sheets when the pull'of the rollers 6 and 9 becomes too severe thereon. To obviate this difficulty we provide a ratchet mechanism in connection with the feed roller and consistingof a ratchetl wheel 42 secured on the roller shaft while the gear 42 is loosely mounted thereon. A series of dogs 42 are mounted on the gear 42 and engage\the vvratchet 42', being held in Contact therewith 'by 'springs 48'. The gear 42 driven from v.the belt 40' will, when turned contra-clockwise, drive the ratchet wheel and the roller and feed the paper forward. Incase, liowrollers Gand 9 and there is danger of tearing it, the' feed roller will slip and the dogs will slide over the teeth of the ratchet and allow the feed roller to'revolve without operatingthe gear. This will prevent all dan'- ger of damage to the sheets and their travel can be accurately timed so that onesheet will have passed down between the rollers 6 and 7 out of the path of the incoming sheet. 12- is a knife supported on a frame 18 that is hingedat 14 on said table and adapted to swingup and down thereon. Guides 1-5 are provided beneathsaid frame between whichguidesand the top of the table the forward ends'of the sheet pass. For the purpose ofdepressing the knife ,12 to contact with the paper and causejit to pass down be tween therollersG and 7 we provide shafts 1-6` and 17 journaled in the table frame, the shaft 16 having an arm' 18 secured thereon that is pivotally connected by a' link 19 with l the end of theknife 12. The raising of the l arm 18 will-have the effect of drawing in the il free end ofthe dog 20 until it engages with i=tl1e teeth of a'ratchet wheel 21 on the end of kind in timing the travel of the sheets so intenten' oet. 12, 1909.

ever, thesheet of paper is drawn taut by the a dog-20 thatis pivoted on the frame 13 near the roller 7. The dog 20' is released from the ratchet by the pressure of the teeth thereon against the dog as it comes in con- -tact with t-heteeth when drawn downward. The shaft 17 is provided with arms 22 which are connected to corresponding arms 23 on the shaft 16 by bars 24. These bars are pro- 'vided at intervals lwith slots 25 adapted to receive lu s 26 provided o n a plate 27. The table top ias a series of longitudinal slots 28 therein through which the lugs 26 extend, 'and intermediate lugs 29 are provided on' the plate 27 also projecting through slots in said table-top. These slots are all of sufficient length to allow the-plate 27 to be adjusted at any desired point along the bars 24. The engagement of the paper with this plate will have the effect of oscillating-the arms 22 and 23 and moving the dog 20-into engagement 20 with the ratchet 21, whereupon the dog will Y be drawn downward, the .frame 13 will be depressed and the knife 12-contacting with the sheet of paper will form a bend therein and direct it in between the rollers 6 and 7 by which the first'fold in the paper will be made. The frame 13 will benormally held in its lraised position by means of a spring 30. Beneath the rollers 6 and 7 we provide a series of feed rollers 3l, 32 and 33 journaled 30 in the legs. Sprocket wheels 34 are secured on said rollers and a drive chain 35 connects the said sprocket .wheels with a gear 36 on a shaft 37. This shaft is provided with an operating crank. 38 and with afsprock-et 39 that has a belt connection 40 with a sprocket wheel 41 from which the roller 5 is driven through gears 42. Idle wheels 43 are mounted on the legs 3 and in' engage-l ment withthedrive chain.

The guide platewhich we will designate. r'by' numeral 44 and between which and the feed rolersthe"sheets of paper pass, is deftaclably hingedV a-t 45 on the table near4 tliefeed rollersf /and7.` I'This guide platev is 45 'capable ofswinging outwardlyaway' from` the feed rollers for the. purposebfobtaining a.ccedssQ/ tothe "feedl mechanism for adj u'st- Y ment'prrr-rvrepairs," to 'permit sheets .of

7'-, paper to be delivered/fromthe machine after I'passingthrougli-therollers 6 and 7 and'with but one'fold formed therein. This feature of the mechanism is described 'and claimed in application No. 395,022 of John H. Adams, filed Sept. 28, 1907, and we make no claim to thesame in this case. A bar 46 composed of sections hingedrtogether. ispivoted at one end on the table frame and atits opposite end is detachably connectedatelthe guide plate andehpldsjthejsaid,plate-in a vertical. .psitioffagainst *the feed rollers.

Near the upperend of the guide plate a pressure rller 47 is mounted on a spring plate 48 thatis adjustably supported by the guide plate by means of slots 49 and screws 50. This pressure roller contacts with the feed roller 31 through anopening in the guide plate .and by means of its ad-E`r` justable support can be tilted -up anddoWn to obtain perfect alinement or to insuretheA movement of the |paper through the machine f. in a straight line or at an inclination to` either side to correct any tendency of .the`

'paper to move laterally and interfere with.A

the parallelfolding of the sheet. This is especially useful when it is desired to fold a sheet on one'side only after-the initial transverse fold-,has been made therein. Beneaththe roller 47 is a spring plate 51 secured to' the guide plate and .supportinga pressure roller 52 which projects through slots 53 in the edges of the guide plate. In the rear of the roller 52 is a roller 54 journaled in the legs 3 and providedwith end flan0'es55 having inner faces 56 which are partly'inclined with .respect to the axis of the roller and partly at rightfangles thereto, as indicated in Fig. 6, these faces being contiguous to and coperating with the ends of the rollers 52.v Between these Hanges 55 and the roller 52 the edges of the sheet are bent outwardly preparatory to being folded over upon oneanother by the folder, as .hereinafter described. This. flanged roller coperating with the pressure roller forms the subjectmatter 'of `claims in the application No. 395,022 and we make no claim to the same herein. Below the folding rollers 52 and 54 andopposite the feed roller32 is a third pressure roller 57 mounted in a spring plate 58 that is secured to the guide plate, said pressure roller operating through anopening in the guide plate and coperating with the feedroller to move the'paper. 58 represents the device by 'f means of which vthe folding operation is completed. It consists of a funnel-shaped shield or hood havingA ears 59 bymeans of which it is detachably mounted upon Ascrews 60 and with its walls'gradually converging -from the uppertoward thelower end, and

provi-dedgat its 'eXtreme lower' end with a' tongueljbetween which and theflower end of the guide plate the folded paper is passed.

This folder, as indicated'fin Ythe drawings, has

a continuouslmr unbroken upper front wall and is open at the rear to receive the guide plate. The manner of mounting the folding device or funnel onthe machine is such that it may be readily attached or detached with a single movement. We have -found this feature of the machine to be a great advantage andan improvement over other ma-V chines for the same purpose, as it allows quick- 4access to the working parts in case the mechanism becomes accidentally clogged'through 125 the improper folding of a sheet or its lodging in the machine. l

The edges of the guide plate 44 are provided with recesses 44 on each side of the pressure roller 57, said yrecesses being in- 3.30

in the paper when the sheets are drawn out of the lower end of the funnel shaped folder by the action of the lower feed roller. XVe

are thus able to pass the sheets rapidlyv through the folder and be assured that the folds when formed will be parallel with one another and the sheet-s be evenly and uni-v formlyfolded when delivered'to the packing receptacle. 'As the ,paper approaches the funnel-shaped device it is turned by means of the rollers 52 and 54 until the edges of the sheet are substantially at right angles to the middle portion thereof, and at the entrance of the folder we provide a nger '62 which engages the turned up edge of-the paper on one side and bends it inwardlyA over the middle portion in advance ofthe opposite edge of the paper, so that' when the folded edges engage the inwardly inclined wall of the folder, one edge will lap by thej other and the sheet will be folded with its? edges in parallel relation and of suitable size j to enter thev ordinary envelop. The tonguef 61 extending down below the Wall ofthe' folder holds the edges of the folded sheett together and prevents them from separating 5 while they are passing from the folder to the'l lowerpair of feed rollers. Below the folder is'a roller 63 journaled on a shaft 64 on; which a packer plate 65 is mounted. The, shaft- 64 is supported in bearings 66 that are slidable on pins`67 and are yieldinglyheld toward the feed roller 33 by springs 68. The

lower portion of the packer plate has a sliding connection at 69 with a spring-pressed arm 70 that is mounted on-one of thelegs 3; and is in engagement withan eccentric 7 1 on the roller 'The shaft 64 is geared to the roller 33 as indicated in Fig. l, and is driven thereby. y V Below the packer plate is an openended box 72 adjustable in the machine frame by means of a screw 73 and lock nut 74. For the purpose of packing thefolded sheets inthe `box we provide a shaft 7 6 near thelpacker plate whereon s'mall reels 77 are mounted. The shaft 76 is supported in bars 7 8 having longitudinal slots 79 therein, by means of which and suitable set screws the bars are adjustably supported on T-shaped plates S() that are provided with transverse slots 81 by means of which and suitableiocking screws, said plates are adjustably mounted on thc side walls vof the box 72.

plateo is vhung at one end-on the shaft '76 and normally is, suspended therefrom within the-receptacle 7 2.' The folded sheets -are Apacked into the boX against this plate and 1t serves to hold the sheets in an upright position and at the same time `yields backwardly and upwardly as the box fills until it is Ain a substantially.horizontal position resting on the 'tops of the folded sheets. A bend 4is provided in the plate so that its lower por- Ction will bear on the folded sheets at the proper angle to hold the sheets in an upright position. At lthe end of theplate is a hinged `part- 75 which as the plate swings to a horizontal position, hangs by gravity vertically, and when engaged by the sheets as they are pressed backward in the box, will gradually assume a horizontal position in line with the plate 75. As soon as the folded sheets are removed the plate 75 and the hinged part 75' will swing down into the Vloox by gravity, ready to contact with the next stack of folded sheets. By means of the bars 78 the reels may be adjusted vertically to accommodate them to the height of the folded sheets, and by means of the plates '80 an adjustment of the reelsfto any desired location :lengthwise of the boxl or in relation to the rollers 33 and 63, either alongside of and parallel therewithor underneath, may be obtained, thereby securing the proper position of the reel arms 77 'witli respect to the top of the pack. We are able with this adjustment of the reels to reach any length of folded paper regardless of where it may be delivered, and at any machine. ln this respect we regard the ma! chine as 'a decided improvement over others for the same purpose.

. A 4We claim as our invention 1. In a Vfolding machine, the combination, with means for e theipo'sition of the'initial fold may be varied according to the sizes o'f the sheets, substantially as described.

2. l :In a folding machine, the combination, with means for feedingthe sheets, of means 'forforrri'ingthe initial fold therein, said initial folding means'being 'normally inoperative, means actuated. by the niovem ent ofthe sheets for rendering lsaid initial folding means operative, `and means whereby the operation of said initialfoldiug means may behastened'or tielayedto `adapt the machine for folding sheets of diderent sizes, said hasi edingthe sheets, of means I for creasing the sheets preparatory to maka pressure roller carried -by said adjustable l receive the projecting parts of said plate.

3. In a folding machine, the combination, i

with means for feeding the sheets, of means normally inoperative for' forming the nntial fold in the sheets, means actuated by the movement of the sheets for rendering said initial folding means operative and including an adjustable plate in the path of said sheets and projecting through the machine top and having supper-ts beneath' said top whereon said plate is movable, whereby the operation of said initial folding means may be hastened or delayed, for the purpose specified.

l-l. In a folding machine, the combination, with a table and means for feeding sheets horizontally thereon, means for forming` the initial foldv in said sheets, saidl folding means including a pivoted frame and a knife blade carried thereby, bars having oscillating supports beneath said table and provided with a series of transverse slots, and a plate having parts projecting through slots provided in said table and fitting within the slots in said bars and adjustable there in, and said plate projecting into the path of the sheets moving on said table, and means connected with said bars and whereby said folding means is rendered operative upon the Aengagement of `said sheets with said plate, substantially as described.

In a folding machine, the combination,

with a guide plate, of a feed roller', a pressure roller arranged to cooperate with said feed roller, a plate -mounted on said guide plate and supporting said pressure roller and said plate being adjustable on said guide plate, whereby said pressure roller can be tilted up and down for the purpose specified.

In a folding machine, the combination, with a guide plate, of a feedroller, a plate having .a slotted connection with said guide plate and capable `of tilting thereon, and

plate and coperating with said feed roller. 7. In a folding machine, the combination, with a guide plate, of a series of feed rollers, a. series of pressure rollers, coperating with said feed rollers, and a funnel-shaped folder comprising a single curved plate inclosing a portion of'said guide plate, the walls of said folder converging toward said guide plate and having means whereby one edge of the sheet will be folded in upon the middle portion in advance of the opposite edge,- substantially as described.

8. In a folding machine. the combination, with a guide plate, of a series of feed rollers,

a series of pressure rollers arranged to cooperate with said feed rollers, a folder inclosing a portion of said guide plate, said folder having walls which graduallyy approach said guide plate and within which walls the folded sheets are fed by said roll-- supported in front of said guide plate and Y partially inclosing the same, said folding device being composed of a single substantially funnel shaped plate and having walls which graduallyv approach said guide plate,

and means provided within said folding device, whereby one edge of the sheet will be folded down upon the middle portion thereof in advance of the opposite edge.

l0. In a paper folding machine, agnide plate and apaper feeding means, in combination with a funnel shaped foIIeir'"comprising a curved plate having a continuous upper front wall open at the rearand inclosing a portion of said guide plate, the walls 'of said folder.converging toward said guide -plate from the top downwardly and adaptedv to engage one edge of the paper and turn it .inwardly over the middle port-ion thereof. I,-

11. In a paper folding machine',la'guide plate and a paper feeding means in combination with a funnel-shaped folder, comprising a curved plate having a wall unbroken in front at the top of the folder and open at the rear and inclosing a portion -of said guide plate, the walls of said folder-.converging to` ward said guide plate and adapted to engage one edge of the paper and turn it inwardly over the middle portion thereof, the edges of said plate having means for securing them 'and said means being readily detachable to permit the removal of said plate and access to the space inclosed thereby.

l2. In apaper folding machine, a frame, a vertical guide plate and a' paper feeding -means in combination, with a vertical folder corresponding substantially in form to one of the sections of a longitudinally and cen` trally divided cone shaped funnel and inclosing a portion of said plate, and said folder having notched lugs to receive supports on said frame, whereby said folder is rendered readily removable.

13. In a folding machine, the combination, with a funnel-shaped folder composed of a single curved plate having continuous outer walls converging toward the bottom of the folder and means located near the entrance tofsai'd folder for making a preliminary bend in the edges of the sheet, substantially asdescribed.

lOO

14. In a folding machine, an upright frame, a guide plate hinged therein and adaptedto be swung outwardly therefrom, pressure'rolls carried by'said guide plate and apaper folder carried by said frame and inclosing the lower portion of said guide plate 1 and consisting of a single plate having upr wardlyarl outwardly flaring walls,substan tially` described. .p

`15 machine of thel cla-ss described, a f'olde cbmprising a plate having .curved ries of pressure rollers coperatiihg with said feed rollers in front of said plate and a folder corresponding inv form substantially to one section of a 'longitudinally Vand centrally divided cone-vs'haped funnelA and inclosing the lower portion of saidguide plate, and said folder having means 'whereby one edge of the sheetwillv be turned infupon ,the middle portion.. in tadvance of the opposite ed e. i In a machine of the classi described the combination, with a frame, a guide'plate' hinged thereon, feed and pressure rollers be tween which the paper to be 'folded'is to be fed, and a folder lnclosing a portion of said i guide plate and composed of a single curved' 36 sheet havin a continuous louter wall, and said folder eing removable to permit said guide plate to be'swung outwardly, substan- I tially as described.

18. In a machine of the class described, the 4o combination, with a frame, of' feed rollers mounted therein, a hinged guide plate, pres` sure rollers carried thereby and coperating 'with said feed rollers and a funnel shaped folder having an unbroken outer wall and removably mounted on said frame and inclosing 'the lower portion of said guide plat-e, for thepurpose specified. 19. In a machine of the class described, the

'combina-tion with a frame', of a guide plate, 50 .a series of feed rollers, aserles of pressure rollers coperating with said feedV rollers, a vertical folder corresponding in form substantially to one section of a longitudinally and centrally divided cone shaped funnel and open in the rear and inclosing afportion of said guide plate and having an unbroken upper front Wall and said folder being removable to permit .access to the paper -be` tween :said feed and pressure rollers.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto ser onrlhands this 21st day of November 1907.

JOHN H. ADAMS.

l ELMER 'D'. WALLACE.

Witnesses:

' J. Hs BALDWIN, RICHARD PAUL. 

